Baldur's Gate Baldur's Gate 3 Early Access Thread [GAME RELEASED, GO TO NEW THREAD]

[Sharpedge]

The biggest detractions to the game that can be fixed have been discussed. Larian better be looking.

• Dice rolls are optimally gamed through save-scumming. But if you don't save scum, you can barely roleplay the character you want to RP because you simply lose as much as you win.
  
• Jumping around half the map in and outside combat at level 1 in this setting is goofy. Gaining Levitation or some gliding effect after some serious effort is cool but flying around everywhere immediately is nonsense
  
• Item menu and icons in general. Portraits as discussed look like naked mug shots. Compare the UI to PFK and know this is dogshit for a 2mil sales game
• Early story stakes. Mindflayer kidnapping a literal who rando, then sending him to Hell doesn't give the player any emotional stake into the story. I don't care at all about all these dragons flying around or traveling around. It's cheap, gaudy bombast, and it completely relies on outside sources to give any weight to the story.
• Turn-based combat on trash takes forever. Give me a break. I already played DOS and DOS2, I don't need to slog through more worthless encounters with the same engine. Less trash, more meaning.

Someone linked this earlier in the thread. I can't be bothered to listen to it but apparently there will be a difficulty setting for deterministic dice rolls.

 

[TheChickenKing]

I haven't struggled too much with save-scumming compared to other CRPGs with random skill checks. The check being transparent helps a lot, psychologically speaking (Oh, I rolled a 2 vs. Wait what the fuck why did this 80% charisma check just fail?), and I've personally not found that save scumming is required to RP my character in the slightest. At least so far, there's been enough distinct ways to solve problems that failing at something doesn't require me to try to do something "out of character" but rather simply pick a less optimal solution that my character can still perform. It's handled very well, in my opinion, and I typically hate randomized skill checks in CRPGs.

After a certain point, blaming Larian for a lack of personal self control is like blaming a DM for not doing more to stop you from constantly power-gaming but then also complaining that the DM is trying to force you to play differently. Outside of changing the system entirely, the only other solution would be single-slot saving and constant auto-saves which is a real pain in the ass for other reasons, and I can't imagine that would be a real improvement in anyone's minds. Maybe as a bonus mode later on.

The UI is definitely my number one complaint though. It's an absolute mess of icons, screens, randomly placed information, and it lacks QOL functionality. I'm guessing that's one of the things that'll get polished up last before full release, since UI elements have to reflect design choices. I could be expecting more of an overhaul pre-release that Larian intends, though.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

You can throw healing potions at allies to heal them btw

 

[Daedalos]

Right the UI needs a serious overhaul and all that goes with it imo. And the micro item management is so fucking tedious and dumb, ugh. Every little shitty thing you can pick up, and just store it for … no reason, then you have to click and drop it and all that shit.
Goddamn you Swen, enough. I get nightmares from D:OS 1+2.

I thought the intro was pretty damn cool and engaging, and a good hook.

You're kidnapped along with alot of others, you start on your journey through mystery and uncovering wtf happened, where, why, what?
Apparently these aliens have a time-warping / teleporting ship called a nautiloid… cool, mysterious.

You got a brief glimpse of some of the worlds of the world and planes and the creatures, wow.. wtf is going on. and then you restart at something familiar - an island, where u start your adventure and journey. not bad.

I'm not sure why people say, this shouldn't be for a lvl 1 character… why? you're not killing massive demons, you're captured and the ship crashes, and you're essentially still a nobody and now you gotta figure out wtf is going on.

Mindflayers and demons are rare? Ok maybe, but i dont wanna play a computer game for 80 hours without being introduced to some of the most mysterious and cool stuff the game world has to offer along the way. This ain't a PnP 600 hour adventure broken up in parts, this is a slick vidya. it has to be condensed fairly broadly

 

[AwesomeButton]

The more I play this the more I continue to miss the much more down to Earth style of BG1.

And proper portrait art.

And the maps which aren't shaped like a medical atlas picture of a gastrointestinal tract.

 

[Pizzashoes]

For the issue with the stakes, it's about the suspension of belief, which is a fine line anyway. Some people will accept things others won't. But the basic idea is to try to make most people get sucked in. All I wondered with the opening sequence was who my character was, how did any of what I did matter to what was going on, and how could I get a better look up Lae'zel's skirt even though she's not of elven blood. Yes, mind flayers are awesome and I want to engage with them. But in this instance, we interacted with them without a solid grasp of anything. You want to grapple with the BBEG not because he exists but because of what he's done and who he is to you. The start was completely jarring to me. An abrupt jolt into the world. Mind flayers aren't mysterious at all, they're mind controllers who I can kill with a Will check.

Imagine starting a game where you slay a wounded dragon. Then the kobold servants around you tell you the dragon you slayed infected you with a draconic spirit. Now you have to go around trying to figure out how to cure yourself of this or instead try to live with it. It is cool for sure, but you don't feel afraid of dragons. You feel they're jobbers not worthy of your respect or attention.

 

[Daedalos]

For the issue with the stakes, it's about the suspension of belief, which is a fine line anyway. Some people will accept things others won't. But the basic idea is to try to make most people get sucked in. All I wondered with the opening sequence was who my character was, how did any of what I did matter to what was going on, and how could I get a better look up Lae'zel's skirt even though she's not of elven blood. Yes, mind flayers are awesome and I want to engage with them. But in this instance, we interacted with them without a solid grasp of anything. You want to grapple with the BBEG not because he exists but because of what he's done and who he is to you. The start was completely jarring to me. An abrupt jolt into the world. Mind flayers aren't mysterious at all, they're mind controllers who I can kill with a Will check.

Imagine starting a game where you slay a wounded dragon. Then the kobold servants around you tell you the dragon you slayed infected you with a draconic spirit. Now you have to go around trying to figure out how to cure yourself of this or instead try to live with it. It is cool for sure, but you don't feel afraid of dragons. You feel they're jobbers not worthy of your respect or attention.

Dont think that's really a comparable scenario. I still feel afraid of mindflayers, because they fuck people up.
You don't slay anybody and you're not capable of it either. You're merely a spectator to a big fight between seemingly dragons, devils and mindflayers and then it all ends and you crash.

The intro I got from BG3 was that I am WAY the fuck in over my head, and I need to get the FUCK out of there asap, which is what happens. You Escape, run for your life, and the entire thing crashes, most die.
I still look forward to actually interact with other mindflayers to learn more, and kill the fuckers that infected me !

Now you have to figure out the story, who, why, what, when? and I think the story deepens as you get further. I don't think mindflayers are the overarching big bad and main story arch, but we will see.

 

[Kazuki]

Let's say some guy from 2001 just finished Baldur's Gate 2: Throne of Bhaal, had his main man impregnate his elven wife before ascending to godhood. Then the player goes out for a smoke and gets hit by a truck. He's now in a coma for 19 years. He comes out of it and asks the fine denizens of https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads...now-available-on-early-access.135311/page-112 about this new Baldur's Gate game.

How could you even break it to the man that THIS game is the sequel?

The guy will still believe in dream/coma when he saw Trump as President.

 

[AwesomeButton]

I think the intro and the environmental clues in the tutorial area are meant to put the fear in you. Thing is that we are just too much of old RPG farts by now.

 

[fantadomat]

You can throw healing potions at allies to heal them btw

Yeah who would have thought that breaking bottles in someone's head is a legit healing technique. We all had lived in a lie,thinking that the potion you drink from the bottle is the healing power,but in reality it is the bottle that heals you while the potion in it is for show.

 

[Quillon]

I can't tell if the main story is/will be good or not but I like all the companion story premises so far, seems there'll be a good arc for all of them. I don't know about FR much but they all seem to be tied to interesting subjects in the lore. Also I like how the narrative's progressing, most everyone we meet are trying to get to BG, and most of them are from BG; there'll be tons of reactivity from EA in the city, it'll be insane in the final game... or at least I hope so.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

Right the UI needs a serious overhaul and all that goes with it imo. And the micro item management is so fucking tedious and dumb, ugh. Every little shitty thing you can pick up, and just store it for … no reason, then you have to click and drop it and all that shit.
Goddamn you Swen, enough. I get nightmares from D:OS 1+2.

I thought the intro was pretty damn cool and engaging, and a good hook.

You're kidnapped along with alot of others, you start on your journey through mystery and uncovering wtf happened, where, why, what?
Apparently these aliens have a time-warping / teleporting ship called a nautiloid… cool, mysterious.

You got a brief glimpse of some of the worlds of the world and planes and the creatures, wow.. wtf is going on. and then you restart at something familiar - an island, where u start your adventure and journey. not bad.

I'm not sure why people say, this shouldn't be for a lvl 1 character… why? you're not killing massive demons, you're captured and the ship crashes, and you're essentially still a nobody and now you gotta figure out wtf is going on.

Mindflayers and demons are rare? Ok maybe, but i dont wanna play a computer game for 80 hours without being introduced to some of the most mysterious and cool stuff the game world has to offer along the way. This ain't a PnP 600 hour adventure broken up in parts, this is a slick vidya. it has to be condensed fairly broadly

Yep. It's storytelling 101: begin at the most compelling part of your story, or at least a compelling part.

But people are going to be butthurt.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

Spoiler

So I accidentally rested before freeing the gith from her cage.

In most games that wouldn't matter. In BG3, the goblins came and took her while I slept.

This is good RPG design. If you say it isn't, you're just wrong.

 

[underground nymph]

I think resting should be totally reworked. Teleporting to the camp from wherever you are is just lame. There should be some planning and risk involved: e.g. finding appropriate place or otherwise being constantly interrupted by local fauna. Resting should be precious, especially in some areas like Underdark. A feel of danger is something I adore about bg1 and missing in modern day rpgs.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

I think resting should be totally reworked. Teleporting to the camp from wherever you are is just lame. There should be some planning and risk involved: e.g. finding appropriate place or otherwise being constantly interrupted by local fauna. Resting should be precious, especially in some areas like Underdark. A feel of danger is something I adore about bg1 and missing in modern day rpgs.

It's a narrative decision. A lot of character interactions take place at the camp and you're meant to be able to store items there and have characters wait there for you.

Plus, you're meant to take as few long rests as possible. I also think the "teleporting" thing is mainly for player convenience. Really, you're walking all the way back to your camp and then walking back to wherever it was you were before.

 

[fantadomat]

I think resting should be totally reworked. Teleporting to the camp from wherever you are is just lame. There should be some planning and risk involved: e.g. finding appropriate place or otherwise being constantly interrupted by local fauna. Resting should be precious, especially in some areas like Underdark. A feel of danger is something I adore about bg1 and missing in modern day rpgs.

Both ideas are shit,just let me spam R and have me party healed. It is a superficial game,see no reason to try and larp as D&D simulator.

 

[Pizzashoes]

Right the UI needs a serious overhaul and all that goes with it imo. And the micro item management is so fucking tedious and dumb, ugh. Every little shitty thing you can pick up, and just store it for … no reason, then you have to click and drop it and all that shit.
Goddamn you Swen, enough. I get nightmares from D:OS 1+2.

I thought the intro was pretty damn cool and engaging, and a good hook.

You're kidnapped along with alot of others, you start on your journey through mystery and uncovering wtf happened, where, why, what?
Apparently these aliens have a time-warping / teleporting ship called a nautiloid… cool, mysterious.

You got a brief glimpse of some of the worlds of the world and planes and the creatures, wow.. wtf is going on. and then you restart at something familiar - an island, where u start your adventure and journey. not bad.

I'm not sure why people say, this shouldn't be for a lvl 1 character… why? you're not killing massive demons, you're captured and the ship crashes, and you're essentially still a nobody and now you gotta figure out wtf is going on.

Mindflayers and demons are rare? Ok maybe, but i dont wanna play a computer game for 80 hours without being introduced to some of the most mysterious and cool stuff the game world has to offer along the way. This ain't a PnP 600 hour adventure broken up in parts, this is a slick vidya. it has to be condensed fairly broadly

Yep. It's storytelling 101: begin at the most compelling part of your story, or at least a compelling part.

But people are going to be butthurt.

Most fantasy novels are boring at the start. You have no clue what's going on, but there's a feeling that the elements are building toward something. You either give it a shot and keep going because other people say it's good or because some aspect ticks your fancy. But once it gets going, all the effort put forth building the story really starts to coalesce and eventually grabs every bit of your attention. That's the flow of a good story. Starting at the very beginning with *BAM* *POW* *WOWZERS* doesn't mean anything. Frankly, it's like eating at McDonald's instead of a dedicated burger joint, or masturbating instead of making love.

 

[fantadomat]

you're meant to take as few long rests as possible.

And that is shit,it fucks up the player's experience and limits your desire to explore and battle. It is unclear and hidden time mechanic that makes the player wonder about every small thing,if it will get fucked if he rests. Also a decent amount of useful skills are locked behind a full rest like the talking to dead people amulet,or the wizard's teleportation,which is retarded. Nobody likes rpgs that force you to rush.

 

[Lacrymas]

Resting limitations that have impact on quests is genius.

 

[fantadomat]

Resting limitations that have impact on quests is genius.

No,it is retarded limitations that kills the joy of exploration. At very least it should be made clear that there will be negative consequences from your resting. That said i manage to get till the spiders and kill most goblins without resting.

 

[Salvo]

Imagine starting a game where you slay a wounded dragon. Then the kobold servants around you tell you the dragon you slayed infected you with a draconic spirit. Now you have to go around trying to figure out how to cure yourself of this or instead try to live with it. It is cool for sure, but you don't feel afraid of dragons. You feel they're jobbers not worthy of your respect or attention.

That's kinda the entire premise of Princess Mononoke, simply substituting dragon with nature spirit. Doesn't mean they are not scary in the movie though!

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

Imagine starting a game where you slay a wounded dragon. Then the kobold servants around you tell you the dragon you slayed infected you with a draconic spirit. Now you have to go around trying to figure out how to cure yourself of this or instead try to live with it. It is cool for sure, but you don't feel afraid of dragons. You feel they're jobbers not worthy of your respect or attention.

And that’s not what happened in this story.

You’re talking about the wounded mind flayer, right? The one that can compel ordinary people to murder you? The one that abducted you and put a parasite in your brain? The one that can go toe to toe with a cambion? The one that can almost mind control you into offering up your brains if you talk to it and should it succeed will proceed to rake the surviving party members over the coals like it was nothing?

And you say we have no reason to fear these things?

Sure, in your hypothetical scenario where you stumble across a wounded something or other and kill it, there’s no reason to fear it, but they spent the entire introduction teaching you just how far beyond you the mind flayers are and what they intend for you.

Do you want you brains eaten? Or do you want to be like the guy who had an intellect devour pried from his skull? Just how do you think you’d fair against a nautaloid and it’s crew at level 4?

If you don’t fear these things, you’re clearly not paying attention.

You’re looking for things to complain about and exaggerating as if this is Skyrim and level scaling helped you kill a dragon at level 2.

There are plenty of things you can criticize the game for. Why do you have to reach like this?

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

you're meant to take as few long rests as possible.

And that is shit,it fucks up the player's experience and limits your desire to explore and battle. It is unclear and hidden time mechanic that makes the player wonder about every small thing,if it will get fucked if he rests. Also a decent amount of useful skills are locked behind a full rest like the talking to dead people amulet,or the wizard's teleportation,which is retarded. Nobody likes rpgs that force you to rush.

Really? Maybe no casuals like it.

It’s called urgency. And it helps keep the game interesting. When you have to choose between fighting a goblin horde using only cantrips and ticking down the clock with a brain eating parasite, suddenly you have a reason to not rest before every single fight.

Larian actually fixed one of the glaring flaws of BG: rest spam. And here you are on a supposedly hardcore RPG site crying about it.

Funny how you had no problem with implied rush mechanics in BG2. You’re supposed to rescue Imoen. Every minute you delay is another moment she’s getting tortured by Irenicus or the wizards or whatever.

Same with Fallout’s waterchip timer.

The only difference is that this is slightly more real. (And how much more real is revealed in the story as your progress.)

 

[NJClaw]

Spoiler

So I accidentally rested before freeing the gith from her cage.

In most games that wouldn't matter. In BG3, the goblins came and took her while I slept.

This is good RPG design. If you say it isn't, you're just wrong.

I don't know if it's a bug or if something actually happened, but:

Spoiler

Where there's the big house in flames, you can join a squad of flaming fists who are trying to break the door. If you pass near the house and ignore them, when you come back after a while they already stormed the house.

Again, maybe I just encountered a bug, but if that's not the case then the amount of branching paths that stem from you acting in certain ways or not acting at all is impressive. Generations of unoriginal and unimaginative RPG design led us to believe that quests that endlessly wait for the player HAVE TO be the norm, but holy fuck this is so much better.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

Both ideas are shit,just let me spam R and have me party healed. It is a superficial game,see no reason to try and larp as D&D simulator.

Popamole as it gets.